Jean Baudrillard and hyperreality
Jean Baudrillard argued that there is no such thing as reality. How does this work? Basically, there could never be such thing as reality, as reality itself is subjective. We each have our own subjective worlds that are constructed through our own experiences and ideologies. And media products are to blame for this. By constantly consuming and mediating a range of media on a minute by minute basis, our perception of reality has been completely decimated.
Baudrillard was fascinated with media saturation, and the effects that this has on our collective perception of reality. Given that there is no such thing as reality (reality cannot exist, as our perceptions of reality are so radically different from one another), we instead look to representations, which are more real than real. Baudrillard refers to this concept and process as hyperreality, where the representation is more important and more real than the thing it is representing.
And, because there is no way to implement an objective reality, Baudrillard posits we are all living in a simulation, a fantasy world constructed by representations. Even more freakily, since there is no reality under this collection of symbols (Baudrillard refers to this as a 'procession of images'), this simulation might as well be reality for us. We simply couldn't tell it apart anyway!
These ideas can broadly be slotted in to the concept of postmodernism. Baudrillard himself hated this term, but for us at least, it provides a (sort of) straightforward way of understanding these concepts. Postmodern media is media that breaks rules. It challenges conventions, and it does so deliberately, for the simple reason that nothing matters anyway. If life is simply a simulation, than surely there's no point in considering the deeper meaning to things?
Postmodern media can often be confusing, extremely stylish, or even deeply hateful and nihilistic. It is media that reflects a broken and fractured world, where nothing can be understood, and nothing is as it seems.
If all this seems a bit confusing, GOOD. Postmodernism as a concept is deliberately anti-theory. It denies the existence of everything, including objective reality. And, from an exam perspective, it gives you an excellent excuse to write in an analysis that a media product is deliberately confusing to challenge and confuse the target audience!
But basically, all we really need to know is that modern life is confusing and alienating, and we need media that reflects this confusion and alienation. Riptide is arguably an example of this!
In what ways does the video to Riptide challenge typical conventions?
- The dark nature of this video is highly contrapuntal when compared to the bright, chirpy song
- Contrapuntal sound is sound which doesn't 'fit' the visuals
- A completely confusing and distracting narrative, that features a range on non-connected stories
- Constant breaking of the fourth wall. Characters often look in to the screen
- Use of unpleasant, creepy and violent imagery creates an uneasy atmosphere for the audience
- Lack of explication of narrative. Why is the singer being 'abused'?
- A range of different and seemingly unrelated narratives. Multi strand narrative
- Every lyric has a literal direct visual accompaniment
- The subtitles do not match up exactly with the lyrics being sung
- Video is highly polysemic and has no real conclusion
- Extreme low key lighting
- Lack of music video conventions, including choreographed dancing, and a complete lack of the performer himself
- Terrible quality of lip syncing
- Unclear setting and time period or even genre
- This video is deliberately confusing in order to challenge its target audience. Because it is so confusing, it will encourage further analysis
- A long shot of a stereotypical cowboy standing in the middle of the desert makes intertextual reference to the Western genre for no particular reason. This creates an exciting yet confusing mode of address for the target audience
- Video jumps from location to location, creating a deliberately disorientating mode of address
- Binary opposition between day and night frequently used to construct symbolic reference to good and evil, light and dark
- Use of the term and the visual representation of 'left hand' has clear symbolic connotations. Left can by symbolic of evil and the devil, and the term 'left' here could be symbolic of abuse, being a binary opposite of 'right hand man' (a protector)
- Frequent use of zoom shots deliberately dates the video, and infers the action is taking place in 'the 1970s'
- Symbolism of red lipstick. Red lipstick can be symbolic of love, sex and passion, yet the colour red can also be symbolic of blood, abuse, anger and torture. This video clearly is playing with the the nature of polysemy. This is further anchored through the MES of smudged red lipstick, and smudged, smeared eyeliner
- Elements of the horror genre are used throughout the video, including through shocking clos ups of a woman being dragged away, the CU of a female hand being stabbed, the swinging chandelier, the first shock cut to the dentist/torture CU,
- Continuous narrative, with shots having cause and effect, yet not necessarily in order
- Use of tarot cards as a symbolic code, with certain cards having certain signification, eg: the hangman: a symbol of surrender
- Negotiated readings: audiences are expected to come to their own conclusions, and may make significant research in to deeper meanings of this video
- Extreme low key lighting in the graveyard scene has connotations of mystery and suspicion
- HA or BEV shots of 'riptide' (the choppy waves) has symbolic connotations of of something that is about to go dramatically wrong. Potentially triggering, extremely upsetting image
- Other 'nightmarish' imagery include the CU 'dentist'/torture shot
- Imagery becomes more explicit and violent as the video continues
- Editing is confusing and discontinuous
- Surreal imagery, which follows the logic of dreams
- MES of suitcase is anchored through the reference to Australia and the Romanian passport, which combined, creates a strong theme of travelling and going on a journey
- MS of man at beach in a floral shit is further anchored by the ocean in the background, which constructs a series of symbolic codes, making reference to 1970s crime films. This reference to 70s iconography is extremely important in indie-pop fashion
- 'Left hand' has associations with abnormality and even Satanism and witchcraft
- Close up master shot of woman being forced to sing features smudged mascara, which is highly symbolic of misery, being upset and crying. This furthered anchored by the high key lighting, used in an unconventional low angled manner, which creates a juxtaposition between happiness and misery, and the excessive darkness also functions as an hermenuetic code, literally shrouding the performer in mystery
- Master shot - a shot, usually a performance shot that the video keeps returning to
What does it mean?
If we are to consider Baudrillard's theory, then it is perfectly acceptable to argue that riptide doesn't mean anything, is deliberately confusing and alienating, and only exists to provoke a response... any response will do.
But, for fun, let's try and point to a deeper meaning...
Possible meanings
Roland Barthes argued in his 'death of the author' theory than a media product ceases to be the property of the producer the second it is made. All that matters is the interpretation of the audience
- Theory one - Riptide challenges the nature of reality itself
- Theory two - Riptide is a video equivalent of a 'shitpost', which is designed to annoy and confuse the audience. The lyrics of the song mean absolutely nothing, and so does the video!
- Theory three - The video is escaping a cult or a religious fanatics. It includes the MES of religious/spiritual imagery, inc 'the illuminati, tarot card, a hand being stabbed through the palm, themes of hypnosis and brainwashing. There is also lots of imagery of escaping, fleeing, running away, often to a different country
- Theory four - the video is about kidnap and abuse. With each shot of the 'performer' singing, she looks more abused, as if she has been tortured. Not for any particular reason
- Theory five - There are many creepy themes of watching, photographic, filming women. We as an audience are often placed in a voyeuristic mode of address.
- Theory six - the video is focussed on crime and committing crimes. Crimes committed include kidnapping, (anchored through the extreme cu of hands being dragged), voyeurism (the creepy, dressing shot) and the POV stalking/chasing shot which positions the audience as a murderer
- Theory seven - The video itself is a form of torture for the audience. There are many themes of Satan and sadism and the occult throughout the video, including the MES of the Ouija board, the continued defence to the 'left hand', and the reference to tarot cards as well. The video additionally makes reference to many common fears, including the ocean, the dentist, darkness, cutting, torture, stalking, graveyards, which are all edited in to the video in a confusing and unpleasant way. Potentially, this video could attract larger audiences through becoming notorious
- Theory eight - The video is about dream... and nightmares. The reason why it males no sense is that it follows dream logic. It is closer to surrealist cinema than something logical, to allow audiences to relate to these difficult and creepy themes
Discussion: is Riptide drawing attention to issues surrounding women, or reinforcing misogynist values?
Voyeurism - taking pleasure at watching someone when they do not know they are being watched
Throughout Riptide, we, the audience are positioned in a voyeuristic mode of address, which is deeply disturbing to the audience
Misogyny - the hatred of women
Is Riptide misogynistic? Pain is inflicted on women throughout this video, and exclusively on women . The women being tortured are exclusively hegemonically attractive, which also reinforces certain fetishistic qualities, and might even make reference to 'incel' culture (in a roundabout way). The conflation between sex and violence is particularly disturbing